Social Studies Curriculum Plan Catholic Textbook Project

This is what we plan on using for Middle School and High School:

Grade 6:  From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America {chapters 1-10}

 

Grade 7:  From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America {chapters 11-20}

 

Grade 8:  All Ye Lands: World Cultures and Geography

 

Grade 9:  Light to the Nations, Part I: Development of Christian Civilization

 

 

Grade 10:  Light to the Nations, Part II: The Making of the Modern World

 

Grade 11:  One Nation, Under God: The American Achievement {still in production}

 

Grade 12:  {in production}

We've decided to stay and stick with Catholic Textbook Project (CTP) for several reasons:

1.  it's a Catholic publisher, Loyola Press
2. it incorporates history with Church history, so when you learn about what was going on in the US history wise, you also see what was going on with the Church in the US! {I just love this!}
3. it teaches Religion and SS all in one

Phase I of this project was started in 2002 and was supposed to be for grades 6-12 and then Phase II was supposed to start in 2008 for grades 1-5.  I can't wait to see the text for the little ones, that is so needed!  :)

CTP in the news:
April 19, 2004 - "Diocese of Peoria Textbook Review" (pdf)


September, 2003 - Religious Life interview with Michael van Hecke (pdf)


Aug 21, 2003 – Seeking Textbooks Fit for Catholic Schools - EWTN (link)

Aug 28, 2003 - Lou Dobbs Tonight story - transcript from CNN.com (pdf)

Aug 21, 2003 - Zenit interview - transcript (pdf)

Aug 21, 2003 - Zenit interview at EWTN (pdf)

September, 2002 - National Catholic Register Story (link)

April, 2002 - "Fresh Tools for Teaching Old Truths" Catholic Exchange (pdf)



  

 

Be Fruitful & Multiply BLOG HOP

I wish I could really call our family of five little blessings BIG, but we are more of a work in progress.  There is nothing more that Todd and I love most is children, both he and I are drawn to them everywhere we go.  SO, naturally, we've had as many as we could possibly have (we married "late" he 34, me 30), so we only have five thus far (Lord willing).

So I asked him for his top 10 reasons why he loves having a BIG family and this is his take:

10.  Can always count on them to give us a good reason to go to Confession ;)

9.  Snack will bever be around long enough to go bad (specially the sweet ones).

8.  You develop a world class ability to concentrate and work with screaming kids around.  {he works from home & we homeschool *wow*}

7.  No need to have birthday guests {though we love them over}

6.  We always get first dibs on the HOV lane!

5.  The guilty child always has numerous pro-bono defense attorneys!  {no joke}

4. We always get our money's worth at the local buffet...not sure if they are in the red that day?  lol

3.  We now have the answer for every know-it-all we meet on the street {since our kids at the ripe ages of 13 and under know it all}.

2.  Large families are just meer purgatory-avoidance-mechanisms!

and my beloved's number one reason:

1.  We have learned to deliver the line, "no, we are not finished" perfectly!

Hop on over and be part of the fun!




Blessings,
Todd (via Erika)

And Lord, Make Him Ambidextrous…

And Lord, Make Him Ambidextrous…

Pocoyo - Pato Es Mio (spanish version) [Discovery Kids]

Type your summary hereType rest of the post here

For you Elena

Who Every Said Homeschoolers Aren't Socialized, has to Meet Our group!

Most of the Homeschooling moms in the area we live in have read the book Haystack full of Needles and based on this book, our community has come alive! Example one: our second Annual Field Day! Check out the fun time our group had!:

Second Annual Field Day 2010 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church:

Find more photos like this on ARCH-Triad

Immaculata Volume One

Here is a widget to preview the yearbook:

Holy Family Homeschool Enrichment of the Triad 2009-2010 by Immaculata - Volume One | Make Your Own Book

Home School Tracker

I was looking for something to use that will track attendance and grades as well as assignments. Most of the programs I found didn't have all of the features I was looking for. Although I do like to keep a written assignment sheet, this program will actually print one out for me as well. After some searching, I found this: http://www.homeschooltracker.com/download_basic.aspx If you download their basic edition, it is completely free. I haven't had a chance to look at their plus ediciton which is only $49, but I don't think I'll need it for now. I assume it has more features plus more reports. With this basic one, I can print attendance records, assignment sheets, and report cards!

Very excited to get this going. It comes at a good time too because I am just starting the Third Quarter! :)

A Prayer for Fidelity in a Mother's Vocation

Dear God, give me the grace to appreciate the dignity of motherhood, which Thou hast been pleased to bestow upon me, and to fulfill its duties according to Thy Will. By my prayers and good example, may I lead my husband and my children closer to Thy Sacred Heart. Make me a devoted wife to my husband and a good mother to my children after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Almighty God, I thank Thee for the blessed care and protection with which Thou hast embraced my family. I humbly submit to Thy decrees and resign myself to Thy Pivine Providence. I grasp Thy guiding hand, and I shall never follow my own ways lest they lead me astray. Thy good pleasure shall be my happiness; Thy commandments shall be my only rule of conduct. Thy Will shall be my will, and Thy service shall be the object of all my desires.

Lord, grant me peace of mind because of my trust in Thy Providence, an unwavering and cheerful courage founded on my faith in Thy tremendous love, faithfulness to duty resulting from a constant awareness of Thy presence, and a firm hope of eternal reward.

Through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I implore Thy blessing upon my family that we all may serve Thee faithfully in this life and deserve to be reunited in the eternal happiness of Thy heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

Our Mission Statement

We, at Cor Iesu Academy, vow before the Lord our God to guide our children in a traditional liberal arts education imbued with our Catholic Faith. The Lord entrusts us with their intellectual and spiritual formation that they might grow in mind, body and spirit to find and fulfill the vocation He has in His mind for them. This will be accomplished through a traditionally well-rounded, organized and disciplined yet accommodating curriculum. Homeschooling allows us to focus on each of our children individually, on a day-to-day basis, so that each will develop a rigorous intellect and goodness of soul based on the teachings, morals, values and deep love of God present in our Holy Catholic Faith. It also allows us the time and flexibility to avail ourselves of the Sacraments, the Rosary and other prayer devotions for their Guardian Angels, their Patron Saints, and the full Communion of Saints, because we cannot do this alone. God suffices in all things, and supplies all we need.

Our Sixth Grade Curriculum Choices

Since I NEVER just followed the textbook when I taught Language Arts, it is only normal for me not to have been 100% satisfied with ONE curriculum choice, therefore, I have decided to pick and choose the best textbooks for my son. He will not be formally enrolled in one curriculum but instead, I have selected what I considered, in my most humble opinion, the best of the best in each subject for the sixth grade. I was also happy to select some books that would actually take him from 6th to 7th in the same text (less money to spend next year). So here's my choice for the BEST curriculum for 6th Grade:

Religion: Baltimore Catechism I, also we will study The Four Gospels (2 year cycle)

Science: Exploring Creation with General Science, 2nd Edition - Apologia (2 year cycle)

Social Studies: From Sea to Shining Sea: The Story of America - Catholic Schools Textbook Project/Ignatius Press (2 year cycle)

Latin: Latina Christiana I - Memoria Press (2 year cycle)

Spanish: Spanish I - Cliff's

Math: Mathematics 7/6 - Saxon (aiming for 1/2 year and then transitioning into Algebra 1/2)

Reading: The Reading and Writing Sourcebook - Great Source

Writing: Strategies for Writers - Zaner/Bloser

Handwriting: Handwriting 5/6 - Zaner/Bloser

Word Study/Spelling: Word Study & Phonics - Spectrum

P.E./Health: Theology of the Body for Teens & continue Tennis Lessons with Coach Moore

So that's it, I'm so excited. Our books are in and I've began planning. Guillermo is super excited (maybe even more than I)...he keeps saying, "Mami, I'm gonna be homeschooled!" I love it! :) I'll post on my choices for the little guys in another post as I have to keep following our schedule some (trying to get the kids adjusted to a school-like schedule before starting the actual teaching). Gotta run...

I've Totally Abandoned this Blog!

No, I'm not missing! LOL, between planning, ordering books, organizing the classroom, and getting my act together...oh yes, also getting Catholic Blogging Homeschooling Mamas up and running, I've totally neglected posting on this blog! My opologies....and I cannot forget the fact that I have four children and my DH who constantly need me...I love it, can't complain. As I tell people, "if I had less kids, I would definitely be bored!"

So as soon as I have all my ducks in a row, I will be back to blog about my curriculum choices and all the wonderful things that have to do with starting a new school year. See you soon! Meanwhile, visit my other site! :) GBY,

Year of the Priest Coloring Fun Contest!

If you visit this site (click on the title of this post, you can download a high quality poster (like the one in this post) which your children ages zero (yes, your babies) and up can enter. There are several levels for age entries in the contest (see their site). What is really neat about this coloring page is that parents can also download an explanation of all the pictures within it and its symbolism. The deadline isn't until next year but you can do it as a summer activity or incorporate it to your Religion Class in the Fall. Have fun coloring! Join me in praying for our priests!

Happy 4th!

From my family to yours, happy birthday America!

Year of the Priest Faith Folder Giveaway!

Ever heard of lapbooks? If you have been homeschooling or thinking about homeschooling, I'm certain you've come across lapbooks. I had never heard of them until my quest for everything homeschooling began. I wish I'd known of this when I was teaching Middle School Language Arts and Literature. So, the other day I was thinking gosh I've never seen a Catholic themed lapbook, I bet those would be neat and bang! I found someone who creates them! This Catholic mom of six calls them "Faith Folders" - I love it! I also found that this blog, Tales from Bonny Blue House is giving away a lapbook based on The year of the Priest! How cool is that? If you post a comment on her blog and then create a post on your own blog (with a link back to her's), you will be entered in the contest. Comments on her site close this Sunday! Good luck!

The Simpler the Better: Teaching Languages

As with anything and everything in life, the simpler the better. Especially when it comes to children. I've heard and experienced it with my children when it comes to toys, they LOVE those cheaper Dollar Store toys and will play with them endlessly, the more expensive ones can be too complex at times and they loose interest easier. What does this have to do with Homeschooling you may ask? Everything! I've been searching for texts and programs to use with my kids; my most recent journey has been in search for a Spanish Curriculum. Thankfully, I follow SpanglishBaby.com, co-started by a friend from high school, Roxana. Through that site I was able to visit other sites which talk about raising children bilingual. I believe that it is my duty to teach my children my native language, Spanish. It would be a shame if they would not learn this from me! So with that said, I found a program I really like for my smaller kids (my oldest knows Spanish already, he is ready for grammar and literature-how exciting!). I've seen this advertised on TV and their ad truly does not show you just how wonderful this program is. It is called Muzzy, which is a fuzzy green "monstro" (monter) which has landed on Gonzoland and they teach the language as he goes learning about this new land.

Interesting that I went trolling for Spanish programs, found Muzzy but not in Spanish! LOL, I found someone has posted the English version of the program (it comes in various languages). I'd love to buy this, eventually, but for now I will be using the ones posted on www.youtube.com. I will be using it both in English and in Spanish because the English one is geared to teach children how to speak, read, and write in English and hey that's where my 4 and 3 year olds are at. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt if the baby (11 months old) would also catch a glimpse of it (and since most of the episodes are about 7-10 minutes long, it's a perfect match for my very active little ones). I'm so excited that this person has taken the time to post these. I'm not sure how legal this is? They are in Argentina and Muzzy is produced in England, aren't there international laws against this? I will be trolling for a used version of the program. I'm very into buying used things lately as I have sold things that my kids no longer use which are almost in new condition. Anyways, if you get a chance take a peek at this video which is the Vocabulary portion of the program; as a former Language Arts teacher I am very impressed with this video program. I can see me implementing this and using the videos to begin the lesson and creating my own flash cards and worksheets to go with the short videos. How exciting!

Teaching Spanish/Ensenando Espanol

I religiously follow this blog/webpage: www.spanglishbaby.com, because they have such great ideas and suggestions, and of course research, on how to teach and the benefits of teaching Spanish (or any other language) to your children. I think it's a shame that I haven't been more pro-active about this with my last three kids. It was so much easier with my oldest son. He was the only child for seven years so I was able to keep him speaking Spanish only up until his fourth birthday. Then I started teaching him English and kept speaking in Spanish as well. He is 11 now and well versed in Spanish as he can read it well. I would like to teach him how to be a better writer, so I'v ebeen looking for programs on how to do just that!

My other children are a different story. My husband doesn't speak, or I should say isn't fluent in Spanish. We speak English, mainly at home so that's what they hear. They have picked up a couple of words watching Dora/Diego so at least they have heard it some. With my baby, I'm speaking to him in Spanish only and Daddy will do the English. I've been looking for a program to teach my 3 and 4 year olds, thinking something like a workbook and flash cards. Well, while trolling through the site I mentioned above, I found they were giving things away this summer. Here's the info on that if you are interested: http://www.spanglishbaby.com/2009/06/bilingual-fun-spanish-for-children-dvd-series . I also found a link with information on ideas to teach Spanish in a fun way. Never did it cross my mind to do it hands on! Playing songs, games, and twisting popular American games into Spanish lessons sounds like so much fun! I think I'd enjoy doing that and flashcards for review, and books of course. Instead of the workbook idea. Thank you SpanglishBaby!

Solemn High Mass at Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro, NC

These are pictures taken by Philip Gerard Johnson of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form on the Feast of the Sacred Heart (2009). I tried to link his blog to this post but had trouble so I'm just posting the pictures of the beautiful Mass of which my DH, Todd, and DS, Guillermo served in. It was very beautiful! Thank you Father Melo, pastor of Our Lady of Grace, for your charity and allowing this Mass on a busy Sunday. Also, a very special thank you to Father Ferguson, FSSP (Society of Saint Peter), Father Kowalski (Pastor, Holy Angels in Mt. Airy, NC), and Father Parkerson (Pastor, Sacred Heart in Dunn, NC) who celebrated or deaconed/sub-deaconed this Mass. Enjoy!

How the Lord sent me my Husband

Here's the first testimony we wrote when we were in the courtship stage of our relationship. Todd was in Syracuse, NY and I, in Miami, FL. (1,500 miles apart!) We reminisce of times when we thought the days of being married with lots of kids couldn't come any sooner, and here we are!

Catholicmatch.com has since asked us to send them an update. As we approach our fifth year of Marriage, this might be a nice little project to go back and document our story for us and, our beautiful blessings, our children!

Printable Liturgical Calendars

Printable Liturgical Calendars